What is particular about the choice of niche? (in the chairman's office)

Buddhist holy places, shrines, etc. It's usually made of wood. In ancient China, grottoes were dug in the form of niches, and small niches were also called rafters. The niche originally refers to digging a rock-drilling cliff as an open space for placing Buddha statues. According to the fourth volume of the Buddhist Samadhi Sutra, there are countless Buddhist niches in Xu Mi, among which there are countless Buddhas. "On the Great Bodhisattva" (volume 177) records: Disha Buddha went up the mountain, entered the barking glass niche, applied Buddha incense sandalwood, sat cross-legged and entered the fire. Nowadays, in major Buddhist relics, such as Ajanta in India, Eerola in China, Yungang and Longmen Grottoes, all the walls are covered with niches of Buddha and Bodhisattva. Later generations turned stone or wood into cabinets and set doors to worship Buddha statues, which were called niches.

Large niches are generally placed in ancestral halls, and rafters are generally placed in rooms. There are often exquisite reliefs, general carvings and semicircular carvings on the niche surface, which has a classical aesthetic feeling.

The shape of the shrine is different from that of the ancestral shrine: the shrine is open, with hanging curtains and no niche door; Ancestor niches have no curtains and niches; There are no steps in the seats of the shrine, which are left, middle, right, front, middle and back in the order of gods and buddhas. Ancestor shrine is divided into steps, arranged from top to bottom in the order of generations. A few people with multiple surnames, such as He Temple, have their own steps in the order of their ancestors. Therefore, ancestral temples are mostly vertical rectangles, and shrines are mostly horizontal rectangles. There are rules for the decoration of ancestors. Ancestors live in niches, and the ancestors below are arranged on both sides of the ancestor god. The so-called Zhao and Mu refer to the arrangement order in the ancestral hall. The ancients believed that since the ancestors, the father was called Zhao and the son was called Mu. Generally speaking, starting from the oldest member of the family, only the gods of Kao, Zu, Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandfather IV are set in the main niche, and those above IV will be moved to the niche, and the ancestors will remain in the main niche. When placed, the first generation is left, facing south, called Zhao, and the second generation is right, facing north, called Mu. The following three, five and seven odd-numbered descendants are all Zhao, and the four, six and eight even-numbered descendants are all Mu, and so on, which makes the arrangement order of the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren orderly and not chaotic at all.

Buddhist niches are often used to worship folk deities or memorial tablets of deceased ancestors. Generally made of camphor wood and Chinese fir, finely carved. They are built in imitation of traditional pavilions. The roof is built like a mountain, with cornices and dragon ridges. Some are divided into two floors, double eaves. The door opened two or four times, with a guardrail in front and steps when going out. There are couplets in the main column. There is a plaque between the upper and lower floors, and the windows are carefully carved. The shape and color are like houses with civil structures. Some niches are built to the end, four feet high and firmly supported, while others are supported by furniture such as tables or four cabinets and can be moved independently. The texture of the niche is gold-plated, copper, brass and wood, depending on the economic situation of each family.

In ancient China, various religions prevailed. Except for large and small temples, almost all religious families set up shrines to worship the patron saint of their own families and the tablets of all or part of their ancestors for daily chanting and prayer. Generally, in the center of the main hall of the ancestral temple or the main hall of the family, there is a niche facing south, one on the left and one on the right. If the ancestral temple is heavily controlled, the niche is located in the annex hall of the left and right wing. Most of the shrines are made of wood, carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, decorated with flowers and gold, and only a square table dedicated to ancestors can be placed below.

The layout of ancestral temples all over the country has distinct regional characteristics. Every traditional Tibetan family must worship Buddhist holy places in the most noble places and send their brightest children to become monks. In Tibetan, Buddhist shrines are called "Gawu", that is, amulets, which are usually made of silver or copper, but some are made of gold or wood. Tibetans usually hang around their necks or carry them on their backs when they go out. Pocket Buddha statues or other sacred objects are placed in Buddhist holy places for good luck and evil spirits. This shows that the practice of Tibetan Buddhism affects the daily life of Tibetans.

Influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, most Mongolian yurts have shrines for their families to worship. There are Buddha statues in the shrines, with offerings and butter bronze lamps in front of them, which are called "altars". Anything that is considered muddy can't be hung or placed near it, but only brave bows and arrows symbolizing men's use can be hung.

The placement of Buddhist niches should be coordinated not only with the stars and hexagrams, but also with Luan Tou. The interior design is Xiao Luan's head. The simplest thing is to follow certain basic rules: first, lean against the wall, because the wall is a fixed place; The second is to be stable, preferably near the corner, so that it is not easy to be collided by other things; Third, be quiet. It's best not to have TV or stereo nearby. Fourth, there should be no sundries in front of you. It is really disrespectful to put Buddha statues or scriptures casually with other sundries. In addition, it is said that the general niche always faces west to east or sits northwest to southeast, which seems to mean that the Buddha came from the west.

Placement of Buddhist niches:

1. From the inside out, shrines or shrines should be placed from home to the outside, from the hall to the outside. In other words, you should face the gate, but if you can't meet this requirement due to environmental restrictions, you should also turn him in the direction of the gate to avoid rushing to the gate, that is, you will see the shrine or altar as soon as you enter the room, and keep a certain distance from the gate.

2. It should be in a quiet place, and the place should be quiet and tidy. It is best not to have audio, television and other things near the shrine or shrine.

Don't face the bed. Don't face the table. Kitchen, toilet, indecent behavior and animal products because of Bodhisattva. If the conditions are limited, some people put shrines or shrines in their bedrooms and block them with a yellow curtain when they sleep.

4. The niche or altar should be supported, and the back should not be empty. The next door to the wall can't be a toilet or a kitchen.

5. niches or altars should not be under beams.

6. If conditions permit, the shrine or shrine should not be too low and the height should be moderate.

7. The quantity provided should be single, not double. For example, for gods such as Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva should be above God, because the level of God should be below Bodhisattva, and Buddha and Bodhisattva are supreme.

8. Orientation of niches or altars: Generally, it is not suitable to be placed at home, which is due south facing west [this orientation can be slightly biased], and other orientations can be chosen, which is best determined according to the feng shui layout at home.

9. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas had better worship from west to east.

Sacrificial objects:

1. The number of incense should be three or one. If you are busy at ordinary times, you can burn incense on the fifteenth day of the first month.

2. Sacrifice fruit. It is best to keep the fruit fresh. Don't wait for the fruit to break before changing it. The replaced fruit can be enjoyed with the family.

3. Provide a glass of water in front of the Buddha and present flowers if possible.

4. Guanyin's decoration: Guanyin is best to "sit west to east". In addition, because Guanyin is pure and flawless, there are three things you can't do: you can't go to the toilet; Not to the door; Not at the dinner table.

5. Offering: Guanyin is a vegetarian fast, only for flowers and fruits, and other gods can offer three sacrifices.

Sacrificial etiquette

Incense: after the establishment of the Buddhist temple, you can recite it with everyone in the morning and evening, or you can burn incense in the morning and evening (water can be supplied in the morning), day after day, and persevere. You don't have to change flowers and fruits every day Flowers and fruits can only be presented on the anniversary of Buddha and Bodhisattva or on the first and fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Buddha lamp: The lighting of oil lamps and candles depends on the environment and personal habits. Generally speaking, not every home environment is suitable for lighting, so lighting can be carried out under the premise of safety.

Offering: Flowers and fruits can be prepared for the Buddha and Bodhisattva's memorial day or the first and fifteenth days. If you want to put vegetables, you can have six kinds, the first bowl and a bowl of rice are suitable.

Environment: Buddhist temples, sacrificial tables, incense burners and candlesticks should be kept clean and solemn at all times. When cleaning, use special cloth, bucket, etc. Don't share cleaning equipment with other places.

If someone dies at home, don't build a Buddhist temple, because people need a Buddha collar when they die, and Buddha statues don't need to be built.

Going out: If you go out for many days on business and the Buddhist temple at home is unattended, you need to tidy up the Buddhist temple before going, and pay attention to the safety of fire and electricity, and then deal with it when you get home.